Pomorie Monastery of St. George

The history of Pomorie shows that in the 7th century there was already a temple dedicated to the martyr George, founded by Greek colonists. With the invasion of Ottoman troops in these lands, the church was destroyed and deserted. The story of the incident then tells an interesting story - a few centuries after its devastation, the temple was rebuilt. From a Muslim - Selim Bey - the creator of a large feudal estate in the area. He settled near Anhialo with his family at the end of the seventeenth century. He chose to make a farm near the Black Sea city because he was ill with an incurable disease, and even then the area was famous for its beneficial climate.
One day, his servant told him that often a man on a white horse appears in his sleep and tells him for a places with a spring of miraculous water near the farm. Excavating the site, Selim Bey and the troop found a marble bas-relief of a rider and water spilled from the ground where he was buried. The hope of healing emerged in Selim.

He called a priest who read his prayer and sprinkled it with holy water. This really healed the disease, and then, inspired by what happened, Selim Bey accepted the Christian faith. At his command, a chapel was erected on the site. According to the legend, years later, the beau widowed and became a monk. He founded a monastery near the chapel and provided for his needs with entire farmstead, covering an area of ​​3,800 acres. He became the first abbot and soon found followers.

In 1856, the present large building and additional structures were built, which over time is being improved and expanded.
In 1906 the monastery became the property of the Burgas Permanent Commission, and in 1935 it was handed over to the Metropolitan of Sliven. In 1966, a twenty-meter tower was built - a bell tower.

Even today, the old marble slab with the image of a horseman, which is spoken of in the tradition, is kept here. It is built into the entablature of the church. It is believed that the site once had a Thracian sanctuary. The spring with the miraculous water still has its glory and visitors do not miss the drink from it and pour themselves from its water.
In order not to drink it unnecessarily, the leakage is controlled by an automatic system that is so regulated that a few minutes after someone has let the water stop until it has to be started again.

Also famous among laymen is the miraculous icon of St. George, which is kept in the monastery. According to the Pomorians, it helped many childless families to obtain a baby. And it cured the seriously ill people who prayed infront of it.

Every year, thousands of people gather at the monastery to commemorate the saint. On this day, a solemn Holy Communion service is celebrated here. Over the years, the visit to the holy cloister on May 6 has become a tradition and the temple holiday has been declared a Pomorie holiday. Each resident of the city then opens their guest house and the celebration continues throughout the day.
St. George Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Bulgaria. It is the only operating monastery on the territory of Southeastern Bulgaria, which receives thousands of pilgrims every year. Now the abbot of the monastery is Agathopol Bishop Yerotei.

In 2019, the monastery administration began renovating the church built in 1856, with funds provided under a European program. But with the opening of the building, it was found that the beams were completely rotten and the walls were collapsing. This necessitates an urgent overhaul of the church - strengthening the structure of the building, replacing the floor covering, the iconostasis and new electrical installation. However, no program funds are provided for the unforeseen repairs. Currently, the church is not accessible to visitors, the icons are stored in the ground floor chapel of the monastery.

"If there are people who can put their material needs in the background and separate from the spiritual bundle, help us with the leper - who can, as much as we can, end this self-serving case until Easter, which is in the end of April, "the abbot of the monastery, Bishop Hierothy, expressed his hope. At the end of last year, the municipal government in Pomorie expressed its readiness to support the Pomorie monastery with funds so that the repair of the church could be completed as soon as possible.